


Of Birthdays and Belonging

by Red_In_Every_Sense_Of_The_Word



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Found Family, Other, Patty's birthday goes wrong, Wholesome, birthday shenanigans, demon party crashers, implied trish x dante, trish and dante accidently adopt a whole person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 17:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30142707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_In_Every_Sense_Of_The_Word/pseuds/Red_In_Every_Sense_Of_The_Word
Summary: Patty Lowell celebrates her birthday as best she can. With the help of some friends of course...
Relationships: Dante/Trish (Devil May Cry)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	Of Birthdays and Belonging

**Author's Note:**

> God this took ages to write, I'm so glad it's finished! I really hope you enjoy it lol!

As much as she appreciated the gesture, Patty wasn’t really all that excited for her 20th birthday party. Despite her expressing her wishes to relax, and just have a quiet get-together with her mother, she ended up finding out by accident, from a friend no less, that she had already gone ahead and planned her a huge surprise party instead! Maybe her mom thought it would help distract her from the stresses of exams and school work she had been investing so much time in. Maybe she just thought Patty was trying to ask for one using reverse-psychology or something. No matter her reasons for ignoring Patty’s wishes, and despite how grateful she was and glad her mother thought it would make her happy, she just wasn't. 

Last year at least was low energy, her mother took into account her sadness over Dante being stuck in the Underworld and missing the party, so took her over to Devil May Cry so she could spend her day with Trish, Lady and the rest of the crew. Patty was still able to enjoy her special day, even if her hero and who she considered a big brother to her, wasn’t there. 

It was around December of the same year, that Dante and Vergil came back. She was helping Kyrie put up a christmas tree in the orphanage at the time. The two eventually made it back to the shop since Nero was tuning up the van there with Nico, and when they got there, well. It was one hell of a christmas present. 

Patty was elated that everyone returned in good health. Hell, she even made a new friend, as the twins also came back alongside Lucia. But, she still struggled internally with the things she had seen and experienced. She was a tad more desensitized to demons sure, she could often recall her childhood memories of being hunted by the creatures, shortly before she was taken in and later reunited with her mother. 

But the Qliphoid incident was different, worse even. Wherever you went online there were videos of the tentacle-like creatures impaling poor citizens, demons drinking the blood of innocent people, filmed and posted everywhere you went. It was almost too much to handle for Patty, and that was just online. It was times like this that she wished that technology hadn't become as prevalent as it had. 

Aside from dealing with the latest tragedies and the incident, university had also been hard on her. She was majoring in Law, something her mother was quite shocked to hear when she first announced her plans. To most, Patty didn't really come across as the 'Lawyer type', but she found defending people fulfilling, and she wanted to be useful in the devil hunter community, being the bridge between devil hunters and the police by getting her degree and setting up shop. 

She was too proud to admit it, but she wanted to help Dante and the rest of Devil May Cry, and she knew they wouldn't allow her anywhere near the business and the danger that came with it. She wanted to repay the debt though, even if it took her taking a more obscure career path in order to do so. 

Since the revelation of devil's, demons and other creatures being real reaching the public, the police had developed a tendency to get in the way of Devil hunting. Nero had almost been arrested twice on some of his jobs because the police were running around like headless chickens and trying to "help". The power struggle between devil hunters and the police was causing more damage than good, and it made Patty want to do something.

So she laid out her plans and got to work. Little did she know just how hard that work would be though. If she wasn't so hard-set on this path, or didn't enjoy the content of her classes as much as she did, then she would've given up already. She was lucky that Trish and Kyrie knew a little about this stuff, with Kyrie picking up the politics of Law in Fortuna from her days overhearing her brother's business, and Trish often brushing with the law in the past on her solo jobs.

She honestly would've been content with using her birthday to study, she enjoyed her sessions in the back room of Devil May Cry, the quiet rock playing in the background soothed her stress, and Kyrie was so patient with her and often explained things to her in a way that just made sense. She also had a big exam coming up, so she needed all the help and time she could get her hands on.

But alas, her mother had other plans, and that's how Patty found herself all dolled up and waiting in the side room of an indoor trampoline park of all places.

God knows why she chose here. Patty certainly didn't, she never showed any interest in a place like this before, so of course she was confused as to why the park was chosen in the first place. Maybe her mother thought that indulging in a high energy activity would brighten her mood, maybe she couldn't find anywhere else. Whatever the reason, Patty felt tired just looking at the trampolines. She could already tell she had a long day ahead of her.

Her mother had her put on a "simple", but nice outfit for the occasion. Sporting a pleated plaid-patterned skirt with a matching black and burgundy choker, she also wore an off-the-shoulder long-sleeved shirt that was tied at the front with the same burgundy shade ribbon. Her shoes were of the same warm grey as her shirt and her pitch black tights complemented the look perfectly. A portion of her hair was tied at the back with a ribbon too, and her make-up also matched her outfit. 

It wasn't a terrible look, although it was a bit glamourous and impractical for a trampoline park. She kept telling herself that she should enjoy it. It was for her! And it would make her mom happy, which is always a plus, since she always worried so much about her. Patty picked at her skirt as she pretended to wait for her mom to come back. She had been told that the plan entailed Patty being taken to the park by her mom on an "errand". She'd then leave Patty in the side room while they prep the rented out space for the surprise.

She sighed. Patty didn't even know if the folks at Devil May Cry were a part of this either. That would certainly make the day easier. If she was being realistic however, there was a very slim chance of that even happening. They all were probably busy with their jobs anyway, and they had already cleared out their schedules once for her to enjoy her special day. She would feel guilty if they were to do that for her yet again. 

Besides, her mother wasn't very fond of any of her friends from the devil hunting business anyways. Patty honestly couldn't place exactly why she had such a dislike of them all. Patty probably wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for Dante, and Patty even considered them all family to her. Maybe that was it. Jealousy, or even bitterness over the ragtag group being there for her when her own mother wasn't. Still, it was no excuse to try and distance her from those she treasured.

Eventually her mom bounded back into the room. She was always terrible at concealing her emotions, so Patty could practically smell her excitement. She took Patty's hand and started to lead her into the next room, making terrible excuses about how she had something to show her and other random stuff. 

Patty internally braced herself and prepared her best fake surprised face. 

Then, they stepped into the room.

"SURPRISE!!!" The crowd of guests cheered, some blowing party horns, some clapping for her. Patty acted as shocked as she could, letting her eyes wander across the crowd. She was able to pick out some friends from university, old friends and distant family. No one from Devil May Cry in sight, not even Morrison. She tried to hide her disappointment, and luckily her mother didn't notice. One of her university pals did however, and made sure to pull her aside to check if she was ok. Patty let her know she was fine, just tired and a little bit frustrated. The two shared some laughs and a fun conversation before Patty was dragged away to talk to each and every one of her guests.

The afternoon seemed to drag on forever, Patty barely got a break in between talking to guests and taking part in activities. Eventually she was able to step outside on her own for some air. It wasn't the best weather but it was still warm, and Patty enjoyed the feel of the May breeze as it swept gently through the city around her. Eventually one of her friends came out to stand beside her. They talked for a little until the friend slipped Patty her own phone back. Her mom had asked to confiscate it the day before when Patty had become upset from a video of a demon attack she accidently came across online. She forgot to ask her friend how she got it back for her, but that wasn't important.

She was grateful for it being returned to her, she had been unable to contact many people outside of her immediate bubble, and it had been bugging her that her mom wouldn't let her go and see her friends either without some pushback. 

Patty thanked her friend profusely before she was yet again left alone to enjoy her peace. She briefly rifled through her notifications, thanking people for birthday wishes and getting herself up to date on what she had missed out on. Eventually she found herself looking at Trish's post. It depicted an old (and she meant old) picture of Patty when she was a kid. It was from one of her previous birthdays and showed her posing silly alongside Dante, Lady, Morrison and of course, Trish. The caption read; "Years onwards and you're still so cute. Happy Birthday Patty, love the gang!" Patty swiped to see the next picture. The second picture was far more recent, showing Patty answering the phone at Devil May Cry while everyone was doing their own thing in both the back and foreground. She found herself smiling at the post.

She saved it to her favourites and endowed it with both a like and heartfelt thank-you comment, before she started to debate giving Trish a call. She did want to verbally thank her at least, and honestly she did kind of miss her since they hadn't seen each other much in the past couple weeks. Patty weighed the phone in her hands, tilting it passively in thought as she contemplated what she should do.

Eventually she decided on her course of action. Putting the phone to her ear, she shortly listened to the dial tone before the phone began to ring. Patty tapped her nails in a rhythmic pattern against the metal railing that lined her perch outdoors, as she listened to the ringing of the phone. She had actually almost considered hanging up, shortly before the ringing finally cut short and was replaced by a curt; "Hello?" 

She almost jumped at the abruptness of the answer. She composed herself quickly though, and adjusted her grip onto the phone pressed to her ear. "Hey Trish, it's me." She answered politely, albeit sheepishly. She could already picture the familiar smile painting itself across Trish's face. "Oh hey Pip Squeak! Hope your birthday's been awesome so far." Patty scoffed at the childish nickname.

"I'm not small anymore y'know. You can stop with the nickname already." Patty crossed her arms as she fidgeted idly. Trish huffed out a gentle chuckle from her end, the sound immediately easing Patty's tension. "Sorry girl, old habits die hard y'know? Anyways. I'm sure you didn't call me of all people, on your birthday no less, just for some idle chit-chat. So what's the problem?" 

Damn Trish and her ability to read anyone to filth. Honestly Patty didn't even know what to say. Or, how to say it. "Well… I wanted to thank you." Patty started, sounding a bit too nervous for her own liking. "Thank me? For what?" Trish responded with a patient tone. "For the lame birthday post you made me. Thanks a lot for that awful old picture you started with by the way, totally didn't get my good side at all." Patty snorted with jest, feeling a little less nervous now she had started. 

Trish laughed again. Patty picked up on the familiar sound of the Devil May Cry doors swinging shut on Trish's end as she tried to tune out the chatter from the party. Patty twirled her finger absently around an invisible phone cord, a habit she had picked up from the use of her mother's wall phone. She leaned further out onto the railing as she listened to Trish's response. "Hey, I couldn't help myself. You used to be so cute! I tried finding an even earlier photo but you know Morrison and his secrets. He won't give up shit unless it's for a price." She almost grumbled the last part out. Patty smiled. 

"A pity. So how's things been at the shop? I'm pretty sure I just heard you either enter or leave so I assume you're back at base?" Patty changed the subject, perhaps a tad desperate to keep the conversation flowing. She really missed the crew, it had been too long for her to bear. "I just got back actually-" Trish paused as Patty heard a familiar voice in the background. "Say hi to the kid Dante." Trish continued. "Hi to the kid Dan-" Patty heard a thwack on their end as she could only assume Trish whacked him over the head as penance for his terrible joke. 

She could almost see Trish rolling her eyes as Dante protested. It made her heart ache. Perhaps she was a tad homesick. "...sorry about that Patty, someone thinks he's a class act today." Patty could hear Dante in the distance hollering at Trish in response. She giggled. She always found it hilarious when Trish and Dante bantered. "...Anyways, should I let you get back to your party now?-" Patty felt herself shrivel up a little at the idea of continuing the dare-she-say vanilla get-together. She really wasn't feeling it. "-or are you going to tell me why you really called?" She snapped back from the depths of her thoughts as she registered Trish finishing her sentence. 

"Uhhh…" Patty trailed off into silence. Trish gave it a minute before she spoke again. "Let me guess, you want me to come to your little bash?" She sounded amused. Patty cringed. "I'd hardly call it little, I barely even know some of these people." Trish hummed in response. "Hmm, well everyone is pretty much tied up." She paused, Patty's heart almost dropped before her despair was interrupted. "Well, except me and this idiot." She overheard a faint 'ow' from Dante in the background. Most likely Trish poking him or something. "Patty grinned a little. "You're an asshole." She stated matter-of-factly. "Charming, be there in 5, maybe less." Trish finally hung up before Patty had a chance to respond.

The young woman found herself staring at her mobile before chancing a glance back at the party. Her mother wouldn't be happy with this, but hey. It was a compromise. Albeit an unagreed to one. She couldn't help but feel an extra spring in her step as she slipped her phone into the pocket of her skirt and found herself walking back indoors with a renewed determination to enjoy herself. 

Her mother found her within minutes of re-entering the fray, chastising her for neglecting her guests and not partaking in the celebration. Patty barely paid attention though, far too excited to see her friends again. She ended up letting her Uni pals convince her to mess around on the trampolines while she waited. It would be a good vantage point and maybe it would be fun too, who knew. 

Time ticked onwards as the night continued. Patty had almost lost track of time until she caught sight of the clock on her friends phone screen. Trish said they'd be there in 5, but it had been an hour. That worried Patty a little to be honest. But all she could do is wait. Its not like her mother would let her leave the building again, let alone venture out into the dark Redgrave streets by herself, adult or not. She found herself growing tired of the constant bouncing and activity she was sustaining, but felt reluctant to leave her vantage point. She also didn't want her mom directing her towards yet another crowd of people she had to talk to.

She was almost on the verge of giving up on seeing Trish and Dante when the front exit door finally opened. Patty barely realised she had gotten off the trampoline at break-neck speed and legged it to the door until she was already halfway there. Her mother was to the left of her and in the middle of asking her what was up before the words died on her tongue. There Trish and Dante were. An hour and a half late and bent over catching their breaths. 

Fashionably late, if you will. 

Patty grinned, rushing over to wrap her arms around Trish as she practically tackled the taller blonde. Luckily she wasn't easily taken out, catching her younger friend swiftly and hugged her back with equal force. Patty glanced over Trish's shoulder at Dante who offered a faint wave as he collected himself. She found herself smiling even more when she realised he had busted out his old red and black outfit he used to wear a lot when they had first met. For Dante this would be considered dressing up for the occasion. Patty was almost touched. 

Trish moved to whisper in her ear, almost as if she was reading her mind. "The only reason we were so late is because I had to win 3 rounds of bloody flip the coin in order for that idiot to give in and wear the outfit. But hey it's worth it right." She pulled back and winked as she iterated the last part. Patty giggled. It really was, it was hilarious that he still even fit in that thing if she was being honest. Dante finally rose to his feet, rubbing the back of his neck out of nervous habit as he began to apologise for their lateness. Trish caught sight of a less than impressed looking Mrs Lowell and instead of ignoring her, of course decided to confront the woman instead. 

"Mrs Lowell, a pleasure as always. I see you still have a flair for the…" Trish paused the pleasantries to look around the room before she resumed. "...dramatic." She ended with a painfully fake smile. Trish was surprised Patty didn't call her earlier honestly. The place was so pink it almost hurt the eyes! Even younger Patty could admit it was a little ugly, let alone the 20 year old the party was meant for. Sometimes she really couldn't clock Patty's biological mother at all. It was bad enough she had given her up abruptly, leading to the eventual danger she was put in. But to make it worse it seemed more like she wanted Patty to be a specific type of person that Patty simply didn't want to be. The aesthetic of the party for example proved that much. 

The woman in question merely put her own plastic smile on and exchanged her own pleasantries in return. "Well you know me and Patty, we do love a show." Trish had to physically stop herself from cringing. She really didn't know Patty at all, it was almost painful. Dante and the birthday girl made their way up to the two, Dante himself immediately clocking the tension between them. At the very least Trish hoped Patty didn't notice, she didn't want her to deal with any more stress then she already was. 

After all was said and done the trio ended up spending most of the remainder of the event together. Dante videoed her blowing out her candles, they talked about work, Nico's newest inventions, their latest and funniest jobs. The two made sure Patty really enjoyed herself. That is until the party was interrupted for a second and last time.

The event was finally quieting down for the night. People had begun taking their leave and her mother and the establishment staff had been busy cleaning-up. Patty and Trish were sharing a trampoline, bouncing idly in place while they talked. On the trampoline next to them, however, Dante was having the time of his life. He was performing backflips like he'd never seen a trampoline before. Patty couldn't help but giggle at the contrast. Trish merely rolled her eyes as she bounced in a steady rhythm.

Eventually she was distracted though, as she clocked a black shadow at the edge of one of the place's windows. Dante must've noticed too because he ceased his erratic fun in favour of surveying each window and exit meticulously with his eyes. The sudden stiffness of them both made Patty a little nervous, as she looked between them to the direction of where their gaze led.

At first she saw nothing, only the wind sweeping gently through the night, swaying the trees and disturbing trash on the ground. And then, something came through the roof.

Patty heard her mother scream first. The sound tingled like the air after a lightning strike. Her friends followed suit, dropping their plates in favour of taking cover in a side room. She almost thought her mother tried to run back for her once she realised She was still with Trish and Dante, but the door slammed shut just as the demon got to its feet. 

She barely had time to process Dante picking her up before she was gently put down behind cover. Patty instinctively ducked down, and the rest was left up to the experts. Trish had already moved positions so she was now between the demon and the door the other guests were behind. She opted to glance at Dante instead of pull one of her guns, and with a sigh and a snark-fueled grumble, he reached back for his sword. 

The demon wasn't exactly a lower class one nor a higher, it was around mid-tier Patty could guess, peeking from her spot and catching glimpses of its hideous form. She assumed Trish didn't want to leave holes in the walls or startle anyone into calling the police, hence the preference of a sword over a gun. Patty watched as the Devil Sword Dante glowed in its namesake's hands briefly, before a flash suddenly blinded her. When she could see again she was surprised to see Rebellion and the Sparda replacing the singular sword now, the latter being thrown to Trish who caught it with ease. She seemed happy to be reunited with the devil-arm, both Dante and Patty noted.

Luckily the part of the building they were in was fairly spacious, making it a lot easier for the two to wield their swords anyways. The terrible thing uttered something in what Patty presumed to be a demonic language she couldn't understand. Whatever was said, Trish looked fairly offended, Dante almost laughed before the scathing look Trish shot him made him put his hand up as a kind of "Take it easy." Lucky for Dante the demon decided to pick that exact moment to make its move. Lucky for Dante, it so happened to choose to attack a rather pissed-off Trish who in term decked the creature with the force of a high speed crash. 

Patty decided to duck down, she rather not watch such a gory affair on her birthday of all things, even if the duo's devil fighting techniques did intrigue her. The sounds of taunting, demonic screams and swords hitting armour and flesh filled the silence of the previously jovial area. It should've bothered her more than it did, but she put that down to the desensitivity that came with her less than normal upbringing. 

She was content to watch the cheap wall clock opposite tick on as she waited for the fight to subside. That was, before the exchange took a more bizarre turn. Suddenly the demon rushed past her, flipping backwards to perch on the edge of the nearby trampolines with a snarl. Patty slid over the desk she was hiding behind and easily retook cover behind it's front as Trish and Dante hastily caught up with the hideous thing.

Patty tried her best not to laugh, she really did. But when you see two grown adults struggling to murder a demon while also trying not to slip on the trampolines they were bouncing on, well, how can you help it? She'd give Trish credit though, she at least was trying to be more graceful with it. She finally backflipped over the devil and with that, Trish and Dante beheaded it. Patty glimpsed a flash of light as she looked over to see Dante holding his Devil Sword again. The two blades must have re-merged when they made contact beheading that thing.

Trish almost looked disappointed, she blankly stared at her empty hand before she quickly checked herself and replaced the hand on her hip instead. Patty cocked her head slightly, resting her elbows on the messy desk as Trish shrugged at her. She made to jump off the trampoline she stood on but ended up catching her heel on one of the disintegrating demon's limbs, subsequently sending her flying. Patty had to physically restrain herself by placing her hand on her mouth to stop the horrendous bout of laughter threatening to rip her lungs to pieces. Dante wasn't helping, he was doubled over in laughter, almost brought to his knees in mirth. When he ended up catching Patty's eye is when she finally was set off too, finding it hard to breathe with how funny it was. 

Trish was glaring between the two, getting up to her knees and flinging the demon blood and gore off of her arms. Her face scrunched up in disgust, almost making Patty pee herself out of laughter. Somehow Dante managed to get his cackling under control enough to offer Trish a hand up between giggles. Although not impressed, she begrudgingly accepted, being hoisted up to her feet. That's when Patty had to run, Trish making a b-line for giving her a bloody hug. Patty yelled in disgust, the two running around for a few minutes before Patty yielded in a fit of disgusted giggling. Trish eventually joined in on the laughter, the two sitting down on a nearby bench row with Dante soon to join.

Trish quickly changed her outfit, tying her hair back and rolling her eyes when Dante whines about her cheating. Eventually Patty's mom and her friends gingerly leave the room, encouraged by the sounds of laughter and conversation replacing the previous ratchet. Ms. Lowell quickly scooped Patty up in her arms like she was five, stroking her hair before pulling back just as fast to cup Patty's face in her hands. She cooed about how worried she was and then gave Dante and Trish the most hateful glare Patty had ever seen from her. That, made her nervous. Neither backed down though, not even flinching at her stare-down as she finally decided to speak. 

"And this, is why I can't stand you being around these people Patricia." Mrs Lowell started snidely. Patty cringed at the use of her full first name as she tried to process what her mother just said. Dante cocked an eyebrow, shooting Trish a look that said "Can you believe this shit?" As Trish sat unimpressed next to him. Patty detangled herself from her mother's grasp, finally registering what she had said and sitting down on Trish's right, staring between the woman who birthed her and the friends that saved her, with utter confusion. Her mother continued though, evidently undeterred.

"Every time you're around these people, we end up being in the thick of it! Look at this mess!!" She gestured around them at the carnage that used to be the party. "I can't stand it Patty! I just can't. I'm sorry but at this point you're old enough to make the decision so please decide. It's either me or them because I just can't deal with being so close to the sun anymore." And with that, her mother stormed off into the street, entered her car with her friends and drove off into the night. 

What an end to her birthday huh. 

Patty sat in shock for what felt like an hour. On one hand, she couldn't believe that her mom was taking all the stress of what happened today, as well as her worry out on the people who are the only reason that Patty was even still alive, sure she had a point since the two do deal in danger, but that still wasn't fair when in reality it really came down to Patty's own choice to stick around them. If anything it was her fault. And she felt awful for not realising her mother felt that way. But honestly how was she to know? There was just no communication between them. It's like they lived in two different worlds.

...And then on the other hand, she couldn't believe she had been left in this trashed place by her ride home.

Patty almost snorted at the underwhelming latter point considering what just happened, but hell it was still important.

"...You're always welcome to stay with us in the shop." Dante spoke up, as if he was reading her mind. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, looking a little guilty over what just happened. Trish nodded in agreement. Patty sighed, rubbing her hands over her face carefully as to not smudge her makeup. "...that, would be great." She agreed. Trish patted her shoulder comfortingly while Dante rose to his feet, walking towards the door a fee steps before turning around to survey the mess. He whistled as he did so, commenting a classy "Good luck to the cleaners." As he looked. 

Trish cleared her throat, giving Dante a look that in turn made him stand to Patty's left with a small smile on his face. Patty looked at him confused for a moment before Trish tapped her shoulder. "So we know you haven't exactly had the best birthday today, but hopefully this at least will jazz it up a little for you." Dante said with a grin as Patty turned to see Trish handing her a moderately sized present, wrapped with blue paper and tied with a gold bow. 

"Forgive the terrible wrapping job, I tried to take over for Dante but he was hell-bent on doing it himself, you'd think he'd know how to wrap a present considering he's wrapped up bodies but I guess not." Trish smirked, earning herself a roll of the eyes and a sigh from Dante. Patty giggled, holding the present to her chest. She was honestly touched.

"Thanks guys." Patty smiled. The two returned her warm grin until Dante clapped his hands together. "Well go on then, open it!" He insisted. Patty got straight to work ripping the pretty paper to shreds. She made sure to pocket the bow, she usually repurposed or even just kept wrapping bows because they were pretty. She used her thumb nail to slice open the tape keeping the brown box closed and pulled back the box tabs. 

Inside were three items. Patty pulled the first one out, carefully cradling it so she didn't break anything. The item was a small snow globe, with white glitter as the snow. The scene inside was the devil may cry shop, complete with teeny tiny replicas of the crew and her out front playing in the snow. "Custom-Made by Nico herself" Dante chimed in. The base had "Devil May Cry" engraved on the front, Patty traced the writing with her thumb before gently shaking it and watching the glitter fall inside the globe. She then gently rewrapped it and put it on her lap, being careful with how fragile an item it was. She thanked them both before moving onto the next gift. 

The next gift was in a smaller box. It was a beautiful pendant, similarly designed like the ones worn by Nero and Nero except it was a vertical crystal circled by wings. Patty immediately put it on, clutching the pendant to her heart with a satisfied hum. She then got to the last gift. A small but thick book. At first Patty was confused. The cover was blank so it couldn't be a novel. Trish gestured for her to open it, so she did. 

It was an album. The first two pages contained small notes and messages of happy birthday from the entire crew, surrounding the four images stuck to them. Two images on each page, the left two depicted Patty around the time Nero joined the crew, one a group photo of her, Dante, Trish, Lady, Morrison, Nero, Nico and Kyrie. The other photo was of her, Kyrie and Nero posing outside of a recently renovated and reopened orphanage. Patty could remember the day clearly, it was a happy memory.

On the right, were more recent photos. The top one was of Patty's high school graduation, shortly before the Qliphoid incident. The picture depicted the Devil May Cry crew alongside her mom and her friends. She was holding up her graduation certificate. The bottom one was of the same photo from Trish's earlier post, of her answering the phone at the shop. She flipped through a couple more pages of memories before finally shutting the album, replacing it and the empty pendant box and wrapped snowglobe back in the box. She then placed it down gently and thanked them both again before she tackled them both in a hug.

"Man I don't deserve you both." She whispered. Dante snorted. "Yeah obviously, I'm way too good for you al-" Dante was cut off with a swift slap to the back of the head courtesy of Trish. Patty rolled her eyes. "We should probably leave, let your mom deal with the fall out of… this." Trish looked around the room as she talked. " Yeah, I'd rather get out of here too." Patty admitted. Dante turned them towards the door, an arm around both Trish and Patty as they walked. He began some stupid story about his past adventures, honestly Patty didn't really pay attention.

When she looked around the room, and in turn to the faces of those she felt she belonged alongside. A part of her wondered if her past self would think she was crazy for wanting to stick around. But then again, she never was suited for the quiet after all.


End file.
